>> where the funeral for pope emeritus benedict will begin in less than an hour, for those joining us right now, we would like to start off by cutting back to our chief religion corresponded, lauren winter carnival gave us a layup what's happening in vatican city right now. >> they're going through the rosary and it is running because all morning long, the fog has been heavy on saint peter's square pick that you could not even say the dome of saint

peter's basilica. it says the rosary began, the fog began to live. i don't know that is a divine prominence, i don't know. it's very interesting as they began the rosary, the fog began to let. it is a very emotional day and i want to show you the vatican newspaper. it is a special edition. featuring pop emeritus benedict giving his date of death, which was last saturday december 31st. on the back, it says his words, which i think are really incredible. it says in italian, the direction is decided. we believe in the love of god. those are the final words we would like to -- that he wanted to live with us, and one other thing that is very important about benedict, and because everyone is talking about he is a great theologian. i read many of his books. one of the things he talks about is that doctrine was easy, but helping a billion people live it out is the hard part. i think that it was heavy on his

heart that he wanted catholics do not just know that doctrine, but to have a relationship with, and is going to -- he died still wanting that and still loving the catholic church, loving the faith, and loving jesus. as they continue the rosary, that is what's happening here. the fog is lifting. his coffin is a centerpiece, and pretty soon, we will -- the mass will begin. >> just after 9:00 in the morning at vatican city. you will see it in just the past 35, 40 minutes, the fog really is lifting. it's amazing. the procession we see has begun. the rosary are still underway. it is kind of this amazing symbolism that we see, and everything becomes magnified at the vatican. you see the nativity scene, it's magnified. you see the college of cardinals, and it really is this amazing symbolic thing that if you have never been to the vatican, and you walk on there,

you immediately feel this kind of sense of authority. >> it's weight, its history, this is a place, by the way, where the christians were slaughtered. the vatican hill was a type of coliseum there. you had many christians who lost their lives here. the blood of the matter is truly became the foundation of the church, i do know that saint peter is into it comments of benedict the 16th will join him, his successor 249 places down the line or 56 places down the line. this is a moment of history we are seeing today. a good buy at not only to a pope who brought clarity to a chaotic time, but to a grand father figure and an amazing theologian. >> let's bring in the bishop of the diocese in minnesota. i'd like your thoughts on what's going on here and your thoughts on how important this is to the

catholic faith and the people who are gathered in vatican city right now. >> yeah, i'm just moved by so many things. i watch these pictures and hear the sounds, hearing the rosary recited in latin remind me of refreshment latin class in my high school outside chicago when i wrote those words in latin. it brings us to this long tradition going back. also seeing those scenes from saint peter's square. i think women said earlier, something from the book of exodus when you see the dorms are covered in the cloud. i was struck by the importance of that place. he would have come there as a young man. he was 35 when he came as a theological expert, the council. spent those years there. of course, all the years, about 25 years as head of the congregation of the doctrine of faith. crossing that square many times. his home is over, and he crossed that square to go to work for

those 25 years. his home. that place was so charged for him. he was such a man of the church. he was a man of the liturgy. that place, which were catholics is so powerful, was so important to him. i am struck by that as i see that the beautifully simple coffin containing his mortal remains, that that was a place as it is for all catholics. >> i remember hearing you saying when you are talking about pope benedict that he was, as you say, a man of great faith, but he was also a man of great reason. he loved the idea of just absorbing information. >> one because of the other. because he was a man of faith, he knew that jesus is the incarnation. he took that very seriously with in, god's mind or reason becomes

flesh. if that's the case, anything that is logical, anything that's reasonable, rational, anything scientific, philosophical, any reasonable cultural form, would find a resonance with christ, is related to christ. he saw the paradox that was the more he was a man of faith, the more he was a man of reason. that's part of the great catholic instinct going back to the very beginning. the church fathers are the love talked about the seeds of the world that could be found in the culture. st. thomas aquinas, the man of faith and reason. john henry newman was here are two joseph ratzinger. same idea. i think that's one of his great single contributions. it's not a contradiction between faith and reason, but it's a paradox. it's one because of the other. you mentioned a man of great logos, would you continue is a man of great pathos and a man of great eaters. it was on and on because of the

way that he lived his life and have much he enjoyed his interchange with human beings. >> and your sighting ever start on there, the three things needed for really persuasive speech. logos, reason, for sure. also pathos. he wouldn't have been a guy waving his arms around and jumping up and down but i saw him many times when i was in rome and he was a man of great pathos, a man of great feeling, any community did that beautifully. ethos, the character of the speaker is what matters as well. joseph ratzinger had character in spades. he was a man that just exude a sense of faith and devotion. that did make a very persuasive speaker. i've said many times in that square, i was a visiting scholar max collard. at the beginning of his papacy. i went on, i just made a point. every wednesday, i went down to hear him speak. it was like hearing john

christensen are like hearing st. ambrose st. augustine. here is a real doctor of the church. one of the great teachers of the faith. yes, he communicated with extraordinary power. >> very true. 100%. the many times i saw him, covered him around the world. the gentle power and bishop aaron captured it so well. not only was it the clarity, the sparkling clarity, but the deep, simple, believes that he brought with him. that's what moved hearts in the u.k. when he had that a trip to the united kingdom, everyone that he's going to flame out. he doesn't have the energy of john popper second-order charisma. he totally took everyone is his sway and moved hearts, and then after this i call him the top of substantive acts because not only did he speak the truth, but he backed it up with something tangible in that case, creating

a new floating dioceses for anglicans who wanted to come into the catholic faith and retain their liturgy and retain their practice of faith, including clergy. i wonder if that goes into what you have said about him viewing christianity as a relationship with the living christ. >> quite right. a man of reason and ideas and theories and so on. he always knew that the heart of christianity is not an idea. we are not an ideology, we are a relationship with a living nought. it's a friendship, and that came through in everything that he's attended. he. he was able to articulate the meaning of friendship at a very high level. at the heart of it for him was this friendship with the lord jesus and that's what came through. >> it's amazing. bishop, standby if you would. i want to go back and talk about the communication and i'm wondering if we have -- maybe the control room can tell is this -- if we have any sound from the interview that you did

with pope benedict. >> i think we do, and maybe we can play a little bit of that. particularly the bit about his resignation, when he wanted to resign even as a cardinal repeatedly. what i love about this interview is he consented to do a little bit in english. you get a sense of his spirit, his joy in that hilarious, sweet, dry sense of humor. >> you've been here for 21 years in this post. i read in many reports you wanted to retire several times. why are you still here to give back >> [laughs] yes, i had decided to retire in '91, '96, 2001. i could write some books. it was my idea to do the same thing, but from the other hand, seeing this, i cannot say to the pope i'm going to retire, i'm

going to write books. seeing him, i have to continue. >> and continue he did. until he became the suffering top. then he made the decision that he couldn't go on any further. he didn't have the strength for the office. i do think it had to be -- there is an interesting line when he left the papacy. he said i now join the crucified lord in a different way. not private life, but i join the crucified lord in a different way. i do think he undertook this monastic existence in a monastery in the gardens of the vatican in the shadow of saint peter's, praying for the church, certainly, but i do think it had to be an enormous cross for joseph ratzinger, who so loved the liturgy, particularly the traditional latin liturgy. the roman rite. which he put into common practice again during his papacy. he said no priest needs

permission. you can do it on your own. now we have pope francis who puts severe restrictions on the latin rite. that had to be a cross. in fact, his secretary who we saw a moment ago, said this broke his heart when he read that bit of legislation. when the mass was being restricted, it broke his heart reading it. i do think there was a cross year. the good news is when you see those young priests gathered there today, that's the true legacy of benedict xvi and john paul the second. those young, vibrant priests who still come for the truth and the cries that he introduced them to. >> one of those former priest is with us now. i'll bring jonathan morris back into the conversation here. jonathan, for years, i have just really come in the past few months, several months gotten used to it because i call him father jonathan for two decades.

it's interesting to me. i wonder what you thought when pope benedict resigned. were you surprised? were you disappointed? what was the feeling at the vatican at that point in time? >> just for a little context, pope francis gave me a dispensation a few years back to leave the catholic priesthood, public ministry, with the possibility of pursuing family and marriage. i am very grateful to pope francis. the day that pope benedict resigned, i was actually in an effort getting ready to take some vacation. i was going to play golf with some friends. it was 6:00 in the morning. i'll never forget, we get a call saying "the pope has resigned." it would not be true. the pope does not resign. pope benedict did it. he felt like he could no longer be a guard of the roman catholic church because of his emotional and physical weakness. one of the things that, when i'm

looking at these images right now, what i'm going to miss so much about pope benedict besides just as personality is the clarity that he brought to teaching. if anybody wanted to know, as pope benedict was the pope, was the reigning pope, if anybody wanted to know what does the catholic church think about this, how does the catholic church understand the bible on this teaching, that are teaching, pope benedict laid it out very clearly. there was no doubt. pope francis has a very different style. he teaches wonderfully in his own personal life, i think. a great example of simplicity, humility, et cetera, but what does pope francis think about so many things? there is a lot of question. there is a lot of confusion. what does he think, for example, about the sexual ethics, about

gay marriage, communism, totalitarian regimes, what does he think about the ethics of the catholic church? pope francis is not change the doctrine of the church. he has not done that, but he has drawn our questions, and that has created a lot of confusion for the people. in this state of the world right now, with a crisis of lead leadership, a crisis of leadership, we need somebody to be able to say you don't have to believe what we believe, but this is not only what we believe, but why we believe. pope benedict xvi gave us a great example in that.. >> if we can bring back the bishop as well, i'm fascinated to see your perspective on how much influence pope benedict had on the catholic faith as we know it today, as we go every sunday. what impact did he have on that for all of us who sit in the

pews and pray. >> you know, pope benedict did not have the charisma of john paul ii. so many people who lived during the papacy of john paul ii, they remembered him as this charismatic leader who would travel the world. pope benedict did not have that, but that is not charisma is not the essence of the papacy. if we look at -- if we are looking at saint peter's square right now, why is it still there after all these years? after all these years, why are tens of thousands of people flocking to this funeral of somebody who was 95 years old, who is retired for ten years? they see the papacy as a foundation in which we can say this is what the church teaches. this is what we believe. this is why we believe it. pope benedict really brought to the faithful that reminder of

the catholic church actually stands for something. it's not dependent on the whims of a secular society. it will be here today, tomorrow, and 100 years from now until the second coming of jesus christ is what this teaching of the catholic church says. >> i think you're so right. there was something in benedict. he never wanted to compete with john paul. he saw john paul as a colossus. he loved him. these are two people who worked on such a tandem. minds and their lives -- 25 years he served john paul ii, then he continued the mission for another eight years. they were tried in the fires of fascism and naziism. they became man watching the sea will play out around them. that sensitized them to the dangers of communism, the

godless society and what it does to people. in generally, they knew they had to do something to repel this evil. john paul did it with his great actors and temperament, with his body and his speech and he became the apostle who went everywhere. benedict is still doing it in thought and reason, and every sunday, every time a catholic anywhere around the world, walks into a mass, you are going to feel the touch of benedict because -- and with your spirit, those translations that were closer to the original mass, to the latin mass. and with your spirit. those are all marks of benedict. he wanted the mass. he said if the math doesn't work, the t doesn't work, nothing works. he believed if you teach the faith and you give people the instruments to exercise it and pray it, good things will happen and the faithful blossom.

i wonder if the bishop agrees with that. i know before you were in minneapolis, you were in los angeles. you know what's happening in the catholic church day-to-day an end the impact of pope benedict that jonathan was talking about and raymond was talking about is that the assessment that you would give? >> i would say this. he is, above all, i think a man of the vatican. he came there is a young man. he has a huge impact on the second vatican council, and he would have been seen as more of a liberal because he was for the reforms, he was against some of the conservative forces at that time they didn't want those reforms. in the years after the council, he saw a catholic progressivism emerging that was betraying, he thought, the essence of the council and then he stood for that. the liberal of the 60s becomes more of the conservative of the 70s even though, as he said, he never changed. during those long years of john paul ii, the two of them together gave a sort of

definitive interpretation to the second vatican council that stabilized the church. i came of age in the period right after the council and i remember balloon masses and clown masses and priests coming on motorcycles. i remember that crazy period. i think maybe the great thing about them working together was to stabilize the church, to give a date definitive interpretation to vatican 2. i say that's where his impact is felt to the present day. also i agree looking at these marvelous pictures of the younger priests. talk to priests ordained in the last 25, 30 years. the influence that both john paul and benedict had in shaping their minds and hearts and mentalities. i did seminary work for a long time and i knew a lot of these young men. benedict was a very important player for them. there is the future of the church if you want it. i'd say he's a man of vatican 2.

>> it's amazing to me. i look at this and i listen to you speak and i go to mass on sundays and we all notice that the numbers at mass are down, the numbers at mass across the country are down and i'm wondering how the catholic faith reconciles that and i know that there are different opinions and some different suggestions, but i'm wondering if you think that it's following the path of pope francis on the path that benedict and pope paul laid out. what do you think. if it's john paul's vision, benedict's vision, francis' vision. where is that you're chatting? >> ab in all three of them together because they are all successors of the new evangelisation as john paul ii put it. benedict as well. francis as well would infer the importance of the new evangelisation. announcing priced in a way that's fresh, that uses new technology, that uses language from our time, that appeals to the generation now that's

feeling more alienated. that's still the program, it seems to be, and it comes right out of the text of vatican 2. it's been assumed by all those popes. that's the challenge of our time. the way a number of us are using social media to evangelize, i think, is part of that. benedict probably didn't know how to use a tablet or iphone or anything, but i think he saw the importance of using a contemporary technology. i would put them all in that category of advocates of the new evangelization. >> it's interesting because bishop berendt talks about this, but he is the social media bishop in the country. he's got the largest following in the catholic religion. >> bishop beren is really a successor of the fulton sheen in some ways because he's penetrating new media and bringing clarity. again, a theological mind with an everyman's tongue which is so important, and we lost their

places in the 20 never get this. benedict had that. when you read his writings, the clarity of those writings and the accessibility. now we see pope francis approaching in a wheelchair. he is not celebrating this mass. pope francis is presiding, meaning he is in attendance, he is praying, but he will not be the celebrant of cardinal betty star ray who is the dean of the cardinals. he will be celebrating this mass. >> he will offer a homily of some sorts? >> he will offer a homily, a tribute to his predecessor, benedict xvi. the dates each other frequently and were friendly. i think you will hear that affection today expressed. again, what you are also seeing is the continuation, the links of these two men that go right

back to the fishermen that jesus christ chose to down at 2,000 years ago who is buried in the basilica behind them. the weight of that and the resonance of that to this present age never ceases to put me in a state of awe whether i am there are watching it. >> we expect the funeral to begin in six and a half, 7 minutes. pope francis is here. we are beginning the procession right now. i wonder we can just check back in very quickly before we pause and listen to lauren green who is that in vatican city. >> i just have one thing to say that i would love to bring to the audience to know that pope benedict is not -- is -- a legacy really shouldn't be remembered for a lot of his theological writings, but also his works, but also there is something very interesting about the date of his birth on the date of his death. he was born on holy saturday, on

the last day of holy week on the eve of easter. he died on the last day of the year. and on the eve of a new here. there is a divine book and to this -- his whole life. he said in his writings, i have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life to emerge in the easter mystery since this can only be a sign of blessing. we know the word benedict means blessing. >> blessing indeed. lauren, back to you in moments. if father jonathan is still there, we have a few minutes before the procession ends and the funeral begins. jonathan, do you have any thoughts about what you are watching? does it bring you back? >> yes. [laughs] it certainly does bring me back. i'm so grateful for all the years that i had at the vatican in the priesthood. i'm also grateful for the second chapter of my life. that, pope francis, has allowed me to live.

raymond mentioned something that i think is very important and that is the continuation of the papacy. pope benedict wanted to retire and go back to germany. he made the huge sacrifice, and there is controversial at the time, no doubt, to stay within the vatican walls. why did he do that, i believe it was because of the continuation. he did not want the roman catholic church to believe here is one pope in the vatican and there is another because i pope that's off in the various place. he said no, i am pope emeritus. i will be set staying inside the vatican walls and he stayed very quietly, humbly. pope francis, to his credit, also was very, very respectful and grateful for pope went benedict's papacy but also the way he lived out these last ten years. the continuation that allows people to say this is what i believe, this is why i believe it. >> i wonder -- standby if you

will. if we can bring back robert moynahan, editor and founder of inside the vatican magazine, to get your thoughts before the service starts on what you are seeing in the conversation that you've heard. >> i have to thank everyone. i thought it was an honor to be on with bishop beren. i thought the comments made by jonathan just now are appropriate. profound. the whole society depends in a sense -- western society of the catholic church -- the difficulties it is through also our difficulty for our society. the last word that pope benedict spoke, i think i just read, referred to a question that he had heard which is the question that jesus asked peter. do you love me? the last words of pope benedict were lowered, i love you. the thing about benedict is that

like all popes he has three names. he was born as a joseph ratzinger, he then changed his name to benedict xvi, and he was also peter. the catholic church is based on that tradition that goes back to jesus christ. it's continued for 2,000 years. there are many problems that human beings have, there is some corruption that has crept in, but the church is struggling and the pope was struggling to overcome this and to lead the church while. the final -- there was a scene we saw at the pope's hands. there was a rosary bead around his hands. the fact that he spent his last years in prayer and his final spiritual testament, he is for people to forgive him and he said i humbly ask all people pray for me, preferably so that the lord may admit me to the

eternal dwellings despite all my sins and shortcomings. this was a humble man and that's my summation. >> it's very touching. it's beautiful to watch. this is the full pageant of the church that you are seeing here today. east and west, the various expressions of the same faith which was at the heart of benedict's vision for the church. he said something about his mission when he was asked what is my mission as a pope? he said to reinstate the centrality of faith in god, give people the courage to believe and the courage to live that faith in the world. faith and reason. that's what he personified in all of his duties, through his writings, in his papacy. i can't but imagine that that's what will come out today, every reanimated faith and reminder that faith in jesus christ matters and holds the world on

its axis. that's what you believe. because as soon as we start to hear this beginning, stop me. i wanted to touch on a couple things because we have said that he resigned in 2013. he spent ten years alone for the most part. wasn't the solitude that he coveted so much? people will say that in his younger years and even in his later years that his favorite thing in life was to grab a new book from one of the vatican bookstores and go to a restaurant and order a meal and sit there and read and the pressures in his life was to just read and absorb more theology. >> he had a little family. his secretary. there were nuns that that cared for them. that house was like a little monastery. this is the beginning of the mass and pope francis will likely have an introduction here. we'll listen. >> [speaking non-english language]

>> [singing in non-english language]

[singing in non-english language] >> [speaking non-english language]

>> [speaking non-english language] >> narrator: the lord says this. if the potter no better than the

clay, does a part of the partner he is a full? in a short time, a very short time, some lemon and become fertile land and federal land turn into forest. the death, that day, will hear the words of a book. after shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. the only will rejoice in the lord even more and the tourist exult in the holy one of israel. >> the song response. there is nothing i shall want. from solomon 22 which will be the first song.

>> [singing in non-english language]

[singing in non-english language]

>> our reading from the first letter of saint peter.

bless it be god, the father of our lord jesus christ, who, in his great mercy, has given us a new birth as his sons. by raising jesus christ from the dead so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoiled or soiled and never fade away because it is being kept for you in the heavens. through your faith, god's power will guard you until the salvation, which has been prepared as revealed at the end of time. this is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may, for a short time, have to bear being

backed by all sorts of trials. so that when jesus christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold. only it is more precious than gold. , which is corruptible, even though it bears testing by fire. and then, you will have praise and glory and honor. you did not see him, yet you love him. and still, without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described because you believe, and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward.

that is the salvation of your souls. >[singing in non-english language] >> st. john chapter six, verse 40. whoever sees the sun and believes in him shall have eternal life.

♪ ♪ again, for those of you listening on radio, the holy father is preparing the instance for the gospel. >> [singing in non-english language]

[singing in non-english language]

>> reporter: the gospel is taken from the gospel of st. luke, chapter 33, versus 3 39-46. >> [singing in non-english language]

[singing in non-english language] >> reporter: one of the criminals hanging there are abused him. are you not the christ, he said? the others spoke up and rebuked him. have a new aware of god at all, he asked. you got the same sentence as he did, but in our case, we deserved it. we are paying for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong. jesus, he said, remember me when you come into your kingdom. indeed, i promise you, he replied. today, you will be with me in paradise. it is now the six hour and with

the sun eclipse-e.g., a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. the temple was torn down and write down. when cried out in a loud voice, he said father, with your hands, i commit my spirit. with these words, he breathed his last. >> and we prepare ourselves now to hear the homily. pope francis will deliver. on this occasion, when we celebrate the solemn requiem mass for pope benedict xvi, a person he called a great master of catechesis. >> [speaking non-english language] father, into your hands, i commend my spirit. these were the final words spoken by the load on the cross. his last breath summed up what

had been his entire life a ceaseless self entrustment into the hands of his father. hands of forgiveness and compassion, healing and mercy. hands that anointed and blast, which led him also to entrust himself into the hands of his brothers and sisters. the lord, open to the individuals and there are stories that he encountered along the way, allowed himself to be shaped by the father's will. he shouldered all the consequences and hardships endured by the gospel, even to seeing his hands pierced for love. see my hands, he's a student tom each of us. pierced hands that constantly reach out to us, inviting us to recognize the love that god has

for us and to believe in it. >> father, into your hands, i commit my spirit. like a potter, he wishes to shape the heart of every master attuned to the whole heart of christ jesus. grateful devotion and service to the lord. a service born on thanksgiving for a completely gracious gift. belong to me, belong to them, the loud whispers. you are under the protection of my hands, you are under the protection of my hearts. heart. here i see the condescension, was ready to entrust himself to the frail hands of his disc

disciples. say with him take it to eat, take it to drink for this is my body, which is good enough for you. >> attuned in prayer full devotion, a devotion silently shaped and rewind and the challenges that every pastor must face. like the master a shepard bears the burden of interceding and the restraint of anointing his people. especially in situations where goodness must struggle to prevail and the dignity of our brothers and sisters is threatened. in this course of this intercession, the lord quietly

restores the spirit of meekness that is ready to understand, accept, hold, and risk. it is the source of an unseen and elusive fruitfulness, born of knowing the one in whom he has placed his trust. a trust itself born of prayer and adoration. capable of discerning what is expected of a pastor and shipping his heart and his decisions in accord with god. feeding means loving and loving also means being ready to suffer. loving means giving the shape what is truly good. the nourishment of god's truth of god's word. the nourishment of his presence.

dedication, attuned to devotion to devotion sustained by consolation of spirit who will always see his passion. passion to see the duty and the joy of the gospel. the painful yet steadfast -- that never courses. patient that the lord will be faithful to his promise, the promise he made to our fathers and to the descendants forever. and also for us, holding fast to the lords last words and to the witness of his entire life, we too as an ecclesial community want to follow in his steps and to commend our brother into the hands of the father. may those merciful hands find his land a light with the oil of the gospel that he spread and

testified too for his entire life. at the end of his pastoral rule, st. gregory the great urged a friend to offer him the spiritual accompaniment. he said this. the shipwreck of the present life sustain me, i beseech you. with the plank of your prayer, and since my own wheat six me down. the hand of your merit will raise me up. here we see the awareness of the pastor who cannot carry alone a truth he could never carry al alone. and can thus commend himself to the prayers and the care of the people entrusted to him. and god's faith now accompanies the life of the one who was the

pastor. like the women at the tomb, we too have come with fragrance of gratitude and the balm of hope to show him the love that is undying. wisdom, tenderness, and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years. together, we say father, in your hands, we commend his spirit. and pope francis finished his homily. may your joy be complete as you hear his voice now and forever.

>> reporter: and we pause briefly in silence to reflect upon the words of scripture and the words of our holy father pope francis. >> reporter: worthy of note, the homily we just heard contained a number of citations

directly from pope benedict, from his encyclical from the homily he came in 2006 and the homily for the beginning of his pontificate in 2005.